My six year old has been complaining of stomach aches for the past 2 months. She usually wakes up with one and it comes and goes throughout the day. There are times when she can't even finish her meal because it hurts to eat. I have taken her to the doctor and the have done cultures to rule out a parasite and blood test to rule out an ulcer. All the test results came back normal. They also completely eliminated milk from her diet. She is lactose intolerant but had still been able to tolerate small amounts of cheese and dairy cooked into things. Even after completely eliminating all dairy from her diet she is having problems. Right now they have her on prilosec otc to help with the stomach aches until we figure out what is going on. She has been referred to a pediatric GI doctor but the first appointment they have wasn't until December. She doesn't seem to be having any other symptoms such as constipation or it's counterpart. Ever now and then she has a little nausea with her stomach ache (usually when she is eating). Right now we are waiting for her doctor to get back in the office (next week) to see where we need to go from here. I was just wondering if any of you had any experiance with this, or any ideas as to what it could be.
TIA,
M.
I was diagnosed with IBS when I was about 8 years old. It is very common with type A personalities. I am 27 now and still have "stomach aches" when I am under stress or nervous about something-and it doesn't have to be something major. That could be all it is. I would still take her to GI specialist to rule out anything else.
My son had the same problem and they finally sent him to a pediatric GI doctor and he put him on Miralax. It was a perscription back then, but now you can buy it over the counter. I would try that and see what that does for her. It might save you some time and money. Hope this helps.
Have you done a blood allergy test? My son is Autistic and we did it to see what foods was causing inflammation in his body. There are some foods that we are allergic to that don't cause extreme reactions in our body but that will cause just inflammation in our intestines. Our doctor went through a company called Alletess Midical Labratory there number is 18002255404 and they have a website www.foodallergy.com. Also there is a book called eat right 4 your type that I have heard helps. I haven't read it yet but a few people I knew in school talked about it and said it helped them and their children with issues. For example one mom daugther kept having skin rashes and when she took her off the soy per recommended by the book the rashes went away. I know glueten will create problems in some kids so does yeast.
My 13 yo daughter has the same problem. Her's is acid reflux. Hopefully the prilosec will help. We have also elevated the head of her bed which helps also.
Have you tried a gluten free diet?..along with the milk free? Gluten is in everything these days and I think damaging all of us. Also, preservatives, colors, high fructose corn syrup. I would suggest organic meats(Laura's meat at Target), organic fruits and vegetables, goat cheese (Whole Foods Market), and Ener G makes gluten free breads. Whole foods also sells coconut milk yogurt and ice cream(S.O. Delicious) Try it! You've got nothing to lose, it's very healthy. Keep it plain and simple. You can also get Lakewood Pure Juices at Whole Foods. I read the ingredients on everything and make sure I get nothing with additives, preservatives, colors. I hope she gets well soon!
Oh, and one last thought, do you(or her school)use hand sanitizers? There have been cases where little children are somehow ingesting this.
Unless she's 'just' stressed, which can be lots harder for a kid to deal with and for them to identify as such, I'd go with the naturopath or celiac testing.
My son had a similar experience which the docs guess is something like a silent reflux. He now takes Prevacid 30 mg every morning.
We've tried to wean him off but the pain came back quickly, within 2 weeks of a lower dose -- even though he follows a strict low acid diet, always.
The Prevacid really works for him. I hate that he has to take a daily medicine like this (and it's not cheap) but waking with killer stomach pain every day was terrible.
I hope your girl is feeling better soon!
I just went through this exact thing with my 6 year old son and after months of dealing with it, he was finally diagnosed with an allergy to corn. The only real symptom he had was constant stomach aches. Occasionally it would make him nauseous but most of the time he couldn't really explain it other than it hurt. We made trips to the pediatrician and specialists numerous times resulting in lots of blood tests, x-rays, etc that never showed anything. I checked in with his teacher constantly to see if it something at school was causing him anxiety and it was all fine. I paid close attention to his diet and even eliminated all dairy (we thought he had dairy allergy issues when he was a baby but apparently it was corn all along) with no results. One day I was just having a general conversation with his classmate's mom and his constant stomach aches came up. I told her I was thinking about taking him to an allergist to see if anything came up and she said YES go ASAP! She told me her oldest son had the same stomach issues for several years and it was finally diagnosed as an allergy to corn. So off to an allergist we went and he had a scratch test performed as well as a blood test for gluten allergy. Sure enough the tests came back positive for an allergy to 1 thing: corn. We put him on a corn-free diet and the change in him was amazing. No more stomach aches, no more rough, bumpy feeling skin, no more slightly runny nose, the "toe fungus" he had since he was a baby completely disappeared, among other things, all of which were so mild that I didn't even realize they were symptoms or abnormalities. I just thought it was him because that's how he had always been.
Now we have pin-pointed that he has a 2 day delay between eating something with corn and the resulting stomach ache, not to mention the fact that corn syrup is in sooooo many things hence the fluctuations in the stomach aches, which is why I didn't pick up on it even when closely watching his diet. I would definitely suggest going to an allergist and getting her tested.
My daughter had the same issue a few years back. Does she ever have headaches with the stomach pain? Her problem was that she was getting too much caffeine. I did not think so because we limited the pop she was drinking, but I was not paying too close attention to the things she was eating that had caffeine in them and to the tea she was drinking. When we stopped the caffeine she improved almost immediately. I hope this helps!
Poor little sweetie.
It's awful to deal with this kind of discomfort.
I had similar issues 10+ years ago. I was in misery.
Eating out was a nightmare. After a few bites I would have to be carried out of the restaurant and home to bed.
Here is what worked for me.
I started taking probiotics daily as well as, digestive enzymes with every meal. I also eliminated corn and wheat from my diet. My pain disappeared.
May God give you wisdom and may your daughter soon be healthy and pain free.
I would take her to a naturopath to evaluate her diet. Also you might have a psych evaluation done on her. Lots of physical ailments can be linked to mental disorders. GL!
Check with your child and make sure nothing is going on with her at school or other activities. Personal problems can manifest as stomach aches in young children (yeah I know what you are thinking, she's too young to have personal problems) but if things are going poorly at school at music class or maybe something changed at home, children often don't know how to express that they are in disstress with a certain situation, so I would talk to her and see if you can find out what is going on with her...If not then I hope the docs can figure out the problem soon! Good luck!
I too am having the same problem and his appt is not until December as well! WE are giving him Miralax every morning with a liquid. He is not lactose intolerant though. We don't know what is causing it, I hope they find out for all of us! Miralax seemed to help at first, but now it is just a constant thing... We are at a loss too.
M.-
it sounds like you're going down the same journey that we've been going on for the last year with our 18 year old son. Some things for you to check out- Lisa Hasselbeck's book - The G-Free diet. Your daughter may have a gluten intolerance and Lisa's book has great information. Also, the doctors have had every GI test run on Jarrett possible and have diagnosed him with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Go to the internet and search IBS. Heather's website at www.helpforibs.com has lots of information - tests that have to be taken- other conditions that might be causes, and teas for soothing the tummy, plus food lists of good and bad things to eat. This along with lots of prayers.
"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound to hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13 L. D.
M.,
Review and consider the information here: http://bluerockholistics.com
especially the probiotic.
Remember to research and know about any medicine/drug you give your child - side effects,outcomes and length of treatment. DO NOT depend on someone else to make the decision for you. YOU are the only person that knows your child entirely and that makes YOU the BEST person to catch errors and make the final call! Doctors give guidance but all they can do is offer recommendations on what works for MOST and your child is not MOST she is an individual and need to be treated as such! Parents may be the only ones able to process all the information and make choices. Trust your instincts, seek multiple advice, don't get sucked in to the pharmaceutical vortex.
L.
You've already had many suggestions. I agree it could be anxiety if she has just started school or is in a new class. Have you talked to her teachers?
My daughter had a similar problem when we first came to America. I eventually realized that the stomach aches were linked to the hives that developed a week after she first complained of severe stomach aches. We eventually went to a allergy specialist. He didn't want to do painful tests, but suggested we start her on a simple diet of white rice, green beans and hamburger, as no one had ever been allergic to those. Then we should add a new food every two weeks. We never found out for sure what she was allergic to, but I became aware that America allows many more food additives and colorings than most countries, so avoid food containing those. She has never had an attack since. My grandson has severe digestive problems when taking antibiotics and he takes probiotics which are a great help.
Good luck. V. (grandmother)
My son had the same thing when he was 6. I took him to our wise old family doctor and he said that he sees several cases of this every year when school starts. After I had a long talk with his teacher his tummy aches stopped. Some teachers just don't know how to relate to small children-his kindergharten teacher was wonderful and he went from that to a screaming 1st grade teacher. It was more than his little system could stand so he had stomache aches. It's something you might want to check into since it started about the time school started. I hope everything goes well and she gets better soon.
Has she been tested for Celiac?
